No pockets, just monsters
by Gao Eclipse
Summary: Pokemon used to be nothing more than pixels. Nothing more than creations from some guy's head, that people played like games. Nobody thought they were real, but they are, and they're vicious. They've killed so many, taken so many from us all... It's all we can do to keep on living. It wouldn't be so bad if not for the fact that anarchy reigns over the world now. More summary inside
1. Bullet to the head

It's been a while. This is it.

Full summary, nyeh?

Pokemon used to be nothing more than pixels. Nothing more than creations from some guy's head, that people played like games. Nobody thought they were real, but they are, and they're vicious. They've killed so many, taken so many from us all... It's all we can do to keep on living. It wouldn't be so bad if not for the fact that anarchy reigns over the world now. Power is key, now. Power is all that truly controls. With all my power, I will live. I'm not gonna lie and say I'll fix the world, but I'll look into that. Maybe.

* * *

No pockets, just monsters-Chapter one: Bullet to the head

This fool just keeps moving his mouth.

_I turn my gaze to my hat on the floor, modeled like an Umbreon. Thankfully, it__'__s mostly unharmed, its crimson gaze still firm._

It's amazing how long he talks before he takes another breath, really.

_I really like that hat. I got it at a convention that I went to with my big brother and sister._

Of course, all that he says being hot air and all… It's not like he's working that hard. Clearly, he's had practice in paying lip service.

_And now, it__'__s on the floor, collecting dirt, because of this fool._

He's pretty good at it, really. He's probably had years of practice with being some office cubicle ass-clown.

_Does he really expect my leniency?_

God, this man can talk. I wish he'd just shut up.

…_disgusting. You disgust me._

As I listen to his long-winded spiel, my mind wanders back to precisely how I got here in the first place…My mother said to me, not too long ago, that I used to be a very happy kid.

She also says that she has no idea what happened there.

That used to bother me. Now…

Well, now I just can't bring myself to care.

The event that started this worldwide annoyance happened about three weeks ago. Approximately 2.5 billion people failed to survive the first impact.

At least, they were calling it 'the first impact'. Having seen Neon Genesis Evangelion, the phrase 'first impact' carried a certain weight with me.

But I digress. That's neither here nor there.

The first impact left several more hundred million twisted beyond recognition, into something no longer human. The ones who changed became Pokémon, believe it or not.

'Pokémon?' people would ask. Yes, 'Pokémon'. As in the creations of Satoshi Tajiri, 'Pokémon'.

They were cold and vicious, like animals as they tore through the streets and building of wherever they happened to be. I doubt that many anticipated that Pokémon would be so hostile towards humans, but then again, I doubt that many anticipated the existence of Pokémon in the first place. I had anticipated that such creatures _may_ exist in the far reaches of the universe, or something like that, but I didn't think that humans would transform into Pokémon as though life were some kind of sci-fi flick.

With the onslaught of Pokémon came a massive failure of proper communication. Most likely due to the mass disbelief in the existence of Pokémon, no country, state, province, city, or town believed the news until the news arrived on their doorstep to make mincemeat of the residents.

At the time, I lived in a small city in Kansas. Not exactly a place I loved, but the people were nice enough. Locally, there were enough people of a paranoid nature to cause the city I lived in to bolster itself in defenses. I personally am not one for guns, but in the defense of my life, I suppose I'd just sucked it up.

I, knowing Pokémon as I did (having been an avid player of the games) took it upon myself to inform the majority of our locals of what we could be certain of. I mentioned all that I could in as short of time as possible. Time was something we didn't have enough of, really. The types, the attacks, the forms, the likelihood of one being extremely cute but being able to kill you in three seconds flat.

Sadly, some of them brushed all I said off. They hadn't seen anything at that point, and I hadn't either, but they simply treated it as though it were all an elaborate joke.

Not too long after that, on the tenth day of preparation, trucks stopped coming through town. On the twelfth, the phone lines ceased to function.

It was on the day immediately after the phone failure that the monsters came. They came through the residential area first, killing most of the civilians first. Of course, when the attack first happened, I was entirely unaware of the fact that my parents had been slain and partially eaten.

Nobody could have prepared us enough for the attack that washed over us like… like… like… Like the attack that washed over us.

My metaphors failed me. So? I'm not exactly a wordsmith.

…..Yeah… It was terrible…

"Die, you fuckers! Die!" Jared's words were punctuated with gunfire. Jared and I had graduated high school together, not even a month ago. It's funny how things like that happen.

Not exactly being suited to gunplay, I had a pistol. Probably. It was a small gun. Guns weren't my thing, aren't my thing, and hopefully they won't ever have to become my thing. I had squeezed off a few shots, and managed to take a few canine Pokémon down.

"You need to go back, man! Tell them there's too many!" Jared shouted at me over the waves of gunfire from several other of our former classmates.

I didn't speak. According to my friends and family, I spoke too quietly to be heard even in a conversation between just me and another. Me, speak over all the gunfire, snarling beasts and screaming humans? I think not. I just nodded vigorously and moved back from the defensive line, glad to not have to watch so much gore anymore. I jogged to the nearest vehicle and turned the keys that were so kindly left in the ignition. I had neither a license, nor did I have a permit with which to drive. I just drove as well as I could have, given the circumstances.

…

Huh?!

Oh, right. Talking too much.

I pull my gun from its holster on my hip and point it at the long-winded fool who hadn't taken his obvious opportunity to flee.

"Oh God, please don't shoot me!"

…..Well then. Let's have fun here, shall I?

"I am not God." The words float out of my mouth with my usual crispness of speech as I flick the safety off on my gun. The man drops to the floor, clutching at my pant leg while sobbing dramatically. It's kind of pathetic, really. It's also kind of annoying that he's knocking me off-balance.

"Please, whoever you are, don't shoot me! Please! Please! Pleaheeheeheese!"

"I have a name, sir." I yawn in slight boredom as I tap my gun to the side of his head. "Now get off of my legs so your brain juice doesn't get on my pants."

The man whimpers sadly as I wedge him off of me with my gun. "Whatever you want, I'll give it to you!" He's just laying it on thick now… "Come on, please!"

My expression turns flat. That's his best? That's pretty weaksauce. "Can you raise the dead?"

His face pales in response to my question as I put the barrel of my gun on his forehead. "No? Well, that sucks."

I contort my face into a visage of rage as I snarl at him. "You better give me one good reason to not pull this trigger."

He closes his eyes with a final whimper as his body shakes in anticipation. I smile in satisfaction at his utter fear before picking up my hat and backing out of the only door with my gun still trained on him.

He cracks open an eye after a few seconds. I quickly re-aim my gun and pull the trigger, before merrily leaning on the doorframe.

"Should've kept your eyes closed, old man. Have fun with the kitty cats. They'll eat you before you're cold, no worries. I'm not sure if they'll wait until you're dead, though…"

I smile at him and take my phone from my pocket. "Smile for the camera." Honestly his confusion and fear is so loud in the air, I can almost taste it. I take his picture, making sure to get his gunshot wound in the picture, along with some background.

I walk away from the man with a new hole in his Achilles tendon, feeling slightly disgusted with myself and with the sense of satisfaction that I got from that man's suffering.

…

Only slightly disgusted.

Certainly not enough to go back and help that fool.

I mean really, he tried to trap me in with the Lux-kitties. I say he had it coming.

Speaking of which, a Shinx curiously sniffs at the door from a shadow, before quietly padding over.

"Ge-Get away! Shoo!"

…..

Well, I'm out of here. I really don't want to hear him scream.

_I do, but I don__'__t want to be around to enjoy it like I shouldn__'__t._

I shrug my shoulders and walk away in a slightly hurried pace as another Shinx converges on the first. He did have some meat on him, so those kittens will get some protein in their diet for sure. Their attack will go up then, and they'll be able to kill more prey, gaining more protein, and probably calcium as well…

Game logic is seriously messed up in reality. It just stacks. Ugh.

The asshole's screams of pain and terror rend the night, and I have to fight from letting my face twist into a bloodthirsty grin.

I need a hobby.

Other than my 3DS, and other than messing up the lives of scumbags.

It's probably not very healthy, but then again, the final product of all life is death.

So…

Eh, I'll find a new hobby. One that's more productive. Maybe. If I find less scumbags then lost DS cartridges.

…..

Or I suppose I _could_ wander some more, right wrongs, save innocents, and fight dastardly villains.

…..

Or I could sit down and take a break, because I must be delirious. I'm not going to go gallivanting around the countryside. I don't even have a horse to do it on! Or rather… A Ponyta? Rapidash? Ah, it's all whatever, really. Bottom line is that I'm not going to gallivanting.

…I look at my wrist, before remembering that I don't have a wristwatch. Again. I reach with my right hand into my pocket, and pull out a gold watch. It's the most awesome watch ever. I can see all the cogs and gears turning, functioning as a whole, never ceasing, working in unison. So powerful, yet so humble. A machine that needs no electricity, no external energy. All it needs is to be wound, and it will tell time for you as long as it can…. 'Twas a gift from my father. A gift in celebration of my graduation of high school…

I tilt my head and put the watch back in my pocket. I think that the cats might be done with him by now. I walk back to the place of the bastard's death, following the smell of blood and open flesh as I walk.

The smell is so thick here… It's almost intoxicating. It makes me hungry, if I'm to be honest with myself.

"You're smiling."

My eyes snap open and I turn- …Wait, wait… When did I close my eyes? Whatever. I turn my head to see Porygon-2, my technical assistant who just so happens to live in my phone, eat up its battery when she gets hungry, and look at Pokémon porn on it (I think). While the majority of human-turned Pokémon became aggressive or violent, this one in particular did not. I personally think that it's because Porygon don't really have instincts and function in a manner similar to programs. Beyond the base function of 'survive' they can do as they so desire. Of course, being creatures of logic, this one decided that she would stick with me. Thankfully, she's a great asset in what I do.

She also keeps me from going crazy, which is almost always a plus.

"Right on time," I say, working my face back into a neutral expression.

"I now have enough power to transfer us both," she states without preamble. I always appreciate the lack of bullshit that comes with what she says. It's all matter-of-fact. "I can do so the moment I have a satellite connection."

What she's referring to is her ability to travel through cyberspace. She's also fully capable of bringing me with her, although it's a little taxing on her energy. We typically save that kind of energy for events of importance or travel over great distances.

"Alright." I turn to the dead man in the room. "I'd tell you to smile for the camera, but you didn't last time."

I snap a picture of him, making sure to get the gun wound that I inflicted on him in the shot, so as to confirm that he was the same person as before. I didn't need to worry though, as the cats hadn't touched his face yet. Shame. It's just there, mouth hanging open, eyes wide in abject terror…

He looks much better like this than he did when he was begging for his life.

A sound from behind causes me to turn sharply. Oh…. Well. A Luxray sits in the doorway, looking hungrily at the dead man on the floor. Its eyes gleam gold in the gloom of the dark room, and are honestly a little scary.

…I've met quite a few Luxray though, and they're typically pretty chill so long as you're not rude, stupid, loud, or steal their food.

"Alright, we're done." I glance sideways at Porygon-2, and she nods. I put my hand on her fin… arm… thingy, and her eyes gleam for an instant.

"Connection established. Beginning transmission… Now."

I close my eyes so my brain doesn't freak out at its inability to comprehend the transfer from the physical world to cyberspace. The world shifts like a painting of twisted dimensions, before the world goes still. No sound, movement, nothing. It's so peaceful here.

I open my eyes, and behold the beauty of this world again.

Streams of data flow through the air in light, colorful clouds. The very ground is alight in energy and circuitry as information pulses through it in every direction, from every direction. There are plant-like structures in some places that seem to house data, and do nothing else. Occasionally, some creatures run by, trails of data streaming behind them. Some in particular are bogged down by massive pulsating growths. I think those are viruses.

I feel something tugging on my arm, and I turn to look at P-2. Yeah, right. Just passing through, not here for the scenery. Pity. It's some fucking awesome scenery.

I hold tight to her fin (I'm calling a fin from now on, yeah) and we're whisked away through the data stream. The world becomes a swirling vortex of light around us as we fly through the internet to our desired location.

I close my eyes as P-2 accelerates, ripping through data at a speed I wish my computer had. At a speed I'm sure that anyone would wish their computer to have, really. What, like a gig a second? I know we're going fast, that's for sure.

"We'll be materializing soon. Prepare yourself." P-2 says this with no sort of sympathy in her voice. It's not like she even feels the shiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiii

….ft.

Oh god, that feels so fucking weird. Like… Like… Decompression from a .zip file to reality. Ugh.

I fall to my hands and knees while breathing heavily, patting my chest to make sure that I don't have a gaping hole in there. That'd be bad.

Ugh.

"You forgot to brace yourself."

She's almost got some humor in her voice. Almost.

I stand up and open my eyes as P-2 winks out of the physical world and back into my phone.

"My job's done, so it's time to get paid. Simple as that." I walk out of the alleyway that P-2 dropped us in, and out into the crowds of people.

* * *

Whether you liked it or didn't, thank you for reading.

If it's not too much trouble, I'd like to know what you thought. Even if you didn't like it.

_Especially_ if you didn't like it, actually.

I'll be making the second chapter shortly.


	2. Distance Between People

It's been a while, I know... I have no real excuse, other than 'lazy'.

Here's your chapter, nyen.

* * *

No Pockets, Just Monsters, Chapter 2: Distance Between People

Navigating one's way through a crowd isn't so bad.

Navigation one's way through a crowd of people with their heads down, all hushed into silence as though speaking carries a death sentence, on the other hand…

I mean, it's not like I'm struggling to breathe, or that a claustrophobic person would freak, but… It sucks.

At least there no crazed person preaching the laws of Arceus.

No, seriously, what the hell was he thinking? Did he think that they'd listen?

"-ly bow to the Alpha, then you will be saved!"

"Speak of the devil, and he shall appear, in all his grandiose glory and lies." I say what comes to mind without a second thought as I turn to see some poor, deluded fool on a street corner, preaching the laws of Arceus. It's clear that he believes what he says, too. He doesn't have the same crazed look that the last guy did. He very passionate though, as can obviously be seen from the fact that he's shouting his beliefs at people that have undoubtedly lost friends and family to Pokemon. Citing Arceus as God has some pretty nasty backlash…

I can see the people around me move faster, as though they don't want to be here another second. I don't really blame them, honestly. Last time somebody did this, they were beaten to death, tortured, spit on, insulted, and ignored.

Not necessarily in that order.

Anyways, I walk on, down the street I go. Some of the people here look like they're in slums, like the world has been taken over by the robot overlords and tatters are the new black. Others are wearing clothes like it's a new steam revolution. Steampunk FTW, some say.

Meh. Clockpunk look more impressive. Gears grinding, the whole of your power being generated by such…

Ah. My phone's vibrating. I take the offending item out of my pocket and look at it.

-I'll see you at the usual meeting place, Ringo-sempai. 3 from you know who-

…..

That damn nickname again…

She didn't even say what we were going to talk about.

…..

And if I ask, she won't respond.

Is it worth it, or not worth it? IS IT?

…..

I yank at my hat in annoyance briefly before letting go of my only headgear.

She doesn't usually send me messages on my phone, what with such things being too much hassle for most people. It's probably worth my time.

Yet another reason to get going…

…Uh?

I look around for a moment, having lost track of thought and physical track of where I was going.

…

Ah.

I look up at the crudely made signboards that state the new arrangement of things. Well, it's not 'new', per se, but… It used to be far different.

Now…?

Now, it's just fucking sad. People wallowing in their self-pity and fear like anybody has any sympathy to spare. I don't have any to spare. I kinda used it all up on all the innocent people that died in the initial blasts. That, and all the people that died fighting. ….And all the people that still fight.

Ah!

Right, where am I…? Let's see… I'm in the Square… I want to go to… Ah.

The church. It's not a church of Arceus, thank god. If it were… That'd just be bad. All kinds of weirdoes show up in those churches. Although… Simply showing off my phone case could get me killed nowadays, given that I've got a Meowstic and Espurr on it.

…

They're cute. Sue me. I like cute things.

… But then again, I wear this Umbreon hat all the time, and nobody so much as opens their mouth at me.

It's probably because I've got that psycho look in my eyes.

I continue on my realigned path, to the church. Not many people come this way, surprisingly. It's typically in times of great crisis and stress that most come to religion to assuage their fears.

…And 'repent' for their sins.

…..

And by 'repent', I mean…

Well, I'm sure that anybody can fill that blank with their own sarcastic idea. I won't make all the jokes in my life.

Anyways… The church is the where I'm supposed to meet up with this employer. There's actually a posted board in the Square so that anybody can sign up for jobs and whatnot, but…

The job I did isn't the sort that normal people sign up for, what with the child-unfriendly action.

I look around at the familiar, derelict surroundings. It's pretty close to being outside of the city limits now, and there's a risk of being attacked by a wild Pokemon.

Not really. All the Pokemon that live in this part of town are human-friendly.

Relatively speaking, of course. All things are just relative.

…But then again…

I turn my gaze to the doors of the church that I nearly walked by for the umpteenth time. If I'd pay attention, then I might otherwise have noticed, but paying attention would be boring. And depressing. Very, very depressing. This church looks like it was kinda homey, once upon a time. Like… The kind of church that raises families and generations. Not the sort that's like a cash cow to line somebody's pockets… But hey, now it's all fallen apart, the door's missing, there's a few holes in the ceiling, and I think there may or may not be a dead body in the basement.

For shame, hiding dead bodies in a church.

I step into the musty old church and open my mouth.

"Is an-" I get cut off before I can even finish the customary question.

"Yes, I'm here. Is the bastard dead?" All business, clearly. To my left, right by the door... A man in a hood stands with his back against the wall. He's got a shotgun, too… Oh my. I wonder why he brought that.

"Yup. I've even got pictures. Wanna see?" I don't mean to sound so cheerful about it, I really don't. Of course, the man shudders. It's a pretty good indicator of whether or not somebody's messed up yet.

"No. No, I don't." His response is clipped, cold. He levels the shotgun at me.

Over the man's shoulder, I see a metallic glint in the shadows at waist level.

….If this guy doesn't put down the shotgun, he's gonna die.

"…So… You gonna pay me?" I'd really prefer it if he didn't die. It'd be pretty pointless for him to die. It's also nonsense for him to kill me.

It's not like I charged that much, and my down payment was reasonable. I even got pictures of the corpse for confirmation.

He readjusts his grip on the shotgun, a lump visible in his throat.

Oh? I smile in spite of myself, shaking slightly with silent laughter. He meant to kill me, when he's never killed before? The metallic glint edges closer, now at eye level.

"Put down the shotgun and pay me, sir. Attempting to kill me is an exercise in futility. I swear it. I don't want to die, and you don't want to kill me. You put down the shotgun, we both win." It's true… I get paid, he lives. We both win.

…For a certain value of 'win', that is.

"No! I-I can't do that!" His voice is thick, and the barrel of the shotgun is shaking violently.

I smile sincerely, trying my best to not look scary as I speak.

"If you don't put it down, she'll kill you." I point over his shoulder.

"Ringo-sempai…" her voice rings out through the one-sided tension, clearly annoyed by my speaking about her presence.

The man turns abruptly, his breathing quickening as his pupils shrink.

The moment the barrel is pointed neither at me nor my kohai, I grab it with my right hand and chop the man in the throat with my left. He drops immediately, grasping at his hurting neck with both hands and so _kindly_ leaving me this _delightful _shotgun.

"See? You put it down, so now she won't kill you." My kohai waves cheerfully at my empl… _AHEM_ former employer with the hand she holds her oh-so-beloved katana in. The man nearly shits himself at the sight, from what I can tell of his facial expression.

"Fortunately for you… She was here to distract you. If she weren't, I'd have had to kill you. Next time, don't do things like this. You will get caught, and you will be killed. Not necessarily in a very merciful manner." I slam the butt of the shotgun into the man's head, causing him to cry out in pain and crumple.

I toss the gun aside into a pew and walk out of the door. Behind me, my kohai sheathes her sword. It makes a distinctive sound.

"Sempai! Piggyback!" This girl… No. This woman is Tina. Asian-American, age 16.5 years, height, 5 feet even. Weight? I don't really know. Less than mine, but not by too much. Three sizes? ...Why the hell would I know that? Unofficially, she's called Kohai by everybody that likes having her around. Like so many people here, she's lost her family and friends to the initial impact. In response, she more or less went crazy.

After nearly killing me, I managed to take her down and bring her to her senses. I'd rather not try doing anything like that again. It's like… I bear my heart to the insane to show that we share that insanity.

And then I feel very bad about how messed up I am.

…?

Oh, right.

I hold out my arms behind me, and Tina hops onto my back with a 'squee'. Honestly, sometimes, the anime schoolgirl act's kinda creepy. She even wears a uniform. I think she got it from a cosplay shop, along with the katana.

It's not as creepy as when…. Ugh.

I don't even wanna think about that stuff.

"Sempai, you smell like blood." She sounds half-asleep. Then again, it is really late.

"Yeah, I know." My response is calm, lazy even.

"You smell like blood even right after you get out of the shower, you know." I can hear her smelling my hat.

"I should probably change my soap, huh?" I start on the way down to where I live. I can never give actual directions, but I know where everything is. The moment I know where I am, I have it all lined up.

That particular skill comes in useful on jobs all the time.

It's a little sad, when you look at the situation objectively.

Lots of the people who lost their families became mercenaries, like us.

Yeah, mercenaries. Child mercenaries. Eh. I'm more of a torture and interrogation sort, really. I find it especially entertaining when people refuse to tell me anything. I often don't need to do anything, as just describing what I'd do to them is enough to make most cower, cringe, and spew their guts (in both senses of regurgitation and telling information). I don't just do whatever. Of course, I need a way to earn a living, so I tend to just do whatever comes my way.

But on the other hand… We have the people who were mostly untouched and living in the still-standing cities that didn't open their doors to us. They also act pretty pissy in the presence of any mercenary, despite all the work we do for them.

"So, when are you gonna take me on a date, sempai?" Tina opened up that line again… No… Nonononononoooo…. Not this again.

My response is succinct, and honest. "When we both resolve our psychological issues." Also known as no time soon. Yes, kohai, you're extremely attractive, but you're also yandere. No thankies.

Anyways… "What is it that you wanted to meet me about? I doubt you just wanted a piggyback ride. There are plenty of guys around that would kill to give you rides." I'd have given her a pointed look, but my words already slice and stab through steel. I don't need to look back at her to know that she's blushing.

"Sempai! I… I…" She's at a loss, I'd think. Trying to come up with a worthy comeback that isn't scathing, but not weak either. Great way to keep the wits sharp. The moment she's done with her comeback, she's going to tell me what she wanted to talk about.

I start to pick up my pace in walking. I'd rather get to my apartment before the sun comes up, or I'll be having some issues. I don't do well in sunlight. It'll be even worse since I didn't sleep this night, too. I squint my eyes slightly, wishing that I had prescription sunglasses, or some clip-ons.

"Well Sempai, I know that I'm the only girl that you've given a ride to." Tina's voice is hot on my ear.

…Heart rate, go back down. Please. Pretty please? If you go back down, I'll give you sugar.

My…

My body…

My body is a traitor…

My body is a goddamned traitor…

My body is a goddamned motherfucking traitor…..

"Sempai, did your brain melt again from thinking naughty thoughts?" She continues to talk into my ear.

"Yes. Yes, it did." I speak flatly and mechanically. "Unless you want to drink brain soup, you should take your mouth from my ear. What is it that you wanted to meet me for?"

Tina sighs into my ear, and leans further over my shoulder. Her eyes flick to mine, and I meet her gaze for a moment before turning my eyes back to where I walk. "Well? What's up?" I ask once more, being genuinely curious.

"They're planning an expedition to-OW!" Tina said 'ow' because I dropped her in surprise. Expeditions are fucking crazy. No matter if it's just twenty miles away, crazy shit happens on expeditions. The initial expedition had been a complete disaster, and that was the one that led me to find my way here.

The last one wasn't even a whole week ago, and they're already launching another one? Either somebody's lost their damn mind, or they found something that is too important to let go!

Or both.

…

Or neither.

Or-"OW!" She pinched me!

I turn to my affronted kohai with a glare. "That hurt."

"You dropped me!"

"I didn't mean to. You just really surprised me. Expeditions are big news."

"And that's why I told you. And you drop me in thanks?" She turns her head away in a huff.

"Thank you very much, my amazing kohai. I shall use this information to preserve the survival and knowledge of mankind. It is only thanks to you that I have this golden opportunity, and for that, I thank you." The words flow out of my mouth unbidden, with a lilt to them not in my standard speech patterns.

I reach my hand out to her, and she starts to pull herself up.

"You're welcome, Ringo-sempai." She opens her mouth on the way up, and now she's back on the ground.

"Don't call me that," I say flatly.

"It's what you're registered as!" Tina stands up, grin on her face. "If you don't like the name, why'd you name yourself 'Apple', huh?"

I mumble darkly to myself, "I was delirious, hungry, hadn't talked to anybody in an extended period of time, and it was a food that I recognized. On top of that…" I turn my head away in annoyance and raise my voice. "They didn't make their questions very clear."

Tina latches onto my arm and I start walking again, the apartment complex almost in sight. I nod at a few familiar faces as I walk by. I look at the crappy apartment and remind myself that it's not quite so terrible.

I open the door and my legs carry me inside. With a sharp kick, my leg closes the door behind me as well. There are three floors in this building; 1F, 2F, and 3F. I live in the basement. I turn sharply on my heel and march down a staircase, completely ignoring the caution signs on the walls.

It's nice down here. It's nice and muted, decently insulated, nice coloring. I wouldn't have minded living here if the world weren't ending, even.

Tina plops down on my recliner(stolen) and picks up the remote(stolen) for my tv(stolen). I sit in an office chair(stolen) at my desk(stolen) and open up my computer.

… Nope, I didn't steal the computer. It's been mine for almost two years now. I take my phone from my pocket and lay it on the desk.

"It's stuffy in your pocket."

"And how could you tell that?" I turn my gaze to my phone, where P2's voice is coming from.

"Well, your penis kept poking me." P2 says this very flatly, as though such conversation topics were normal.

….My body is a traitor.

"I apologize for the inconvenience. Next time, I'll put you in a butt pocket."

"Please don't." P2 does not beg, does not plead, but… I can't imagine how uncomfortable that must be. Ugh.

"Expedition, huh? Where to?" I speak up while logging on to my computer. Nobody in these parts is ballsy enough to touch my things without permission, but even if they were…

Tina turns to me, her legs dangling over the arms of the chair. "LA."

…

Face. Meet palm, nyen? I think you two will be meeting quite often sometime in the near future.

* * *

And there you have it. Our perspective character, referred to as 'Apple', has established a name.

New named character, yay. Of course, it's only the second chapter, so we had to be getting something sometime.

Maybe, if you're lucky, I'll update faster next time. No promises.

If you liked it, great. Tell me why.

If you didn't, great. Tell me why.

It's difficult to fix problems when you're unaware of their existence.


End file.
